WAUPUN (NBC 26) — High schooler Allison Disch hopes her new children's book inspires her peers to persevere through challenges and overcome anxiety.
- Allison Disch and Ted Neitzke published “Duke’s Storm” in January 2025
- Disch, a sophomore at Waupun High School, hopes to create a career in illustration.
- “Duke’s Storm” tells the story of a young buffalo overcoming his fears
Allison Disch says artistic talent runs in her family.
“My dad was an art teacher for a while so he taught me how to draw,” she says.
And all her life, she’s wanted to use her talent for a career.
“I've only thought of art as like the only way for me,” she says. “I never thought of going to medical school or anything like that.”
Her art career became successful earlier than expected.
“I would have never expected this to happen today,” she says.
This year, she illustrated a published book titled “Duke’s Storm.”
“It means the world to me to have a book at such a young age.”
Duke's Storm is a story about a buffalo running through a storm rather than running away– an analogy for facing your fears and not giving up.
“That really stuck with me at the time because I really struggled with anxiety my whole life and just being fearful and letting that like control me,” she says.
Disch first heard the story from Ted Neitzke, CEO of CESA6, an organization that provides training and support programs to schools across Wisconsin.
“We go through all these core principles of being a leader,” Neitzke says.
After Neitzke's seminar at Waupun High School, Disch says she was inspired to turn the buffalo analogy into a children's book.
“I just kind of took what I liked as a kid and used it for today,” she says.
Neitzke was eager to help, offering to write the book for Disch’s illustrations.
“This is a natural opportunity for me to help Allison help other people learn to read, learn to have courage and learn to grow into who they can be,” Neitzke says.
Prior to becoming the Port Washington Mayor, Neitzke had a career as a teacher and school administrator.
“I got this really cool opportunity to be a person whose job it is to empower kids to have it flipped and then be empowered by a kid,” he says.
An unlikely pair, now inspiring kids across the country.
“It’s okay to feel different and it’s also okay to be scared, as long as you don’t let it control you and stop you from what you love doing,” Disch says. “Being a teenager is hard… but you should also not let being different stop you from doing what you want to do.”
Neitzke and Disch are planning on creating another book– a young adult graphic novel. Disch says she’s hoping to earn a scholarship for an arts college after high school.
